Applebee's Grill + Bar — Restaurant in Otsego Township

We really like applebees and decided to stop at the one in plainwell on our commute home. I was expecting to get a shrimp pasta dish and my bf wanted the spinach artichoke chicken pasta. Well when we looked at the menu those items were not on there...different restaurants serve different menu items?

Anyway, we found alternative items and ordered our food. As we were waiting for our salads, the people who sat behind us and had just placed their order were not only eating their appetizers but received their food. The waitress even apologized for the food coming early but she didnt want it to sit. We got our salads shortly after then about 10 mins after that we got our food.

My oldest who ordered mac and cheese and mashed potatoes food was soooo hot she had to wait a few mins before she could eat it. My food was ok, on the verge of being cold. My bfs plate, who ordered chicken and broccoli alfredo, was cold. The broccoli was crunchy and looked like it was put in the microwave before it sat. He asked the waitress if they could heat it back up in the microwave (which they did). The manager brought out the plate and my bf said the food tasted way better.

This place was given a 3 because although st the end of the day the food was good, some plates were too hot and some too cold none were just right. Also, for the manager to be in the back I would expect that all food comes out the same temperature which is hot. We did eat the food and the issue was corrected but there still should have been a issue to begin with, especially with the manager working in the kitchen.

UPDATE: everyone in the house woke up with upset stomachs and diharrea. Pretty sure it was the food from applebees (possibly the variations in temperature...

My dining companion and I arrived for lunch at 11:55a on Sunday, May 5, 2024, and we were seated right away, as the restaurant was not busy - maybe only a half dozen tables had customers. A few minutes later, someone - not sure if it was our waitress or not, as she never introduced herself - asked us "if we wanted anything to drink while we waited" - and both my companion and I said "no, thank you". I was perplexed by her comment of "while we waited", but I left it at that. The same person walked by our table several times and never said one word to us. After twenty minutes of not being waited on, we left. Not one person came by to take our order, or to check on us - or anything. As we left the restaurant, the hostess said - "have a nice day", to which I replied, "I can't have a nice day if I sit there for twenty minutes and get absolutely no service", to which the hostess had no response. I understand the hostess was young and probably doesn't have much business world experience, but this also tells me that the management at this particular location does not offer the proper training to their employees. We have also had dining experiences at this location with poor service, including waitresses not telling ust their names or not checking in on us on a consistent basis during our meal, so this most recent experience is definitely not a one-time incident. I honestly do not expect much from Applebee's, but basic customer service should be a standard in...

Arrived around 6:30 pm on a Sunday and it was at less than half capacity. We were seated right away at a high top in the bar area. After not being greeted for almost 10 minutes and having multiple employees walk past us, I went up to ask the hostess if we were supposed to go up and order at the bar. After ordering from the bartender, I watched as the same younger employees (2 females and a male) were just wandering around not doing much. They would hang out in the kitchen or talking in a group off to the side. One of the girls brought food out of the kitchen while still chewing on her food. Then later, 2 of them shared a dessert at the table next to us while we sat there with empty drinks. It appeared the disheveled manager was running the food from the kitchen for the 3 or 4 employees who weren't really working. And none of them took care of the dirty dishes on the bar that were there when we arrived and still there when we left. The "manager" clearly isn't effective and hasn't properly trained/supervised his employees. We got the 50 cent wings which were fine and a good bargain. But the overall service experience...